The Colorado Avalanche made its second pick of the day in the 2025 NHL Draft in the fourth round at 118th overall. They chose defender Linus Funck out of Sweden.

Funck is an 18-year-old defender who plays on the right-hand side. He’s played exclusively in Sweden for his hometown club Lulea HF.

Last year in the J20 team, he had five goals and 23 assists for 28 points in 48 regular-season games. He added a goal and an assist in three playoff games.

He also played in the postseason for the J18 side. In those eight games, he had four goals and three assists. He also had four appearances in Sweden’s U18 side in international competition, going pointless.

The biggest concern for Funck is his penalty troubles. He had 77 penalty minutes in all games this season, averaging over one penalty per game.

But, there is a lot to like for the 6-foot-3, 187-pound defender. He’s a solid defender at breaking up plays, particularly on the blue line.

Plus, the use of his physical body helps break up plays. He does this particularly well along the boards. He is also a nice breakout defender, with quick one-touch passes to push plays forward.

As a two-way defender, it’s someone who certainly would’ve appealed to Chris MacFarland, Joe Sakic, and the entire Avalanche organization. They’ve loaded up now with their second defender of the draft, with the team picking Francesco Dell’Elce from UMass in the third round at 77th overall.

Funck will likely stay in Europe playing in Sweden, as the club has had other players in the past do so while developing, most recently with another defender in Mikhail Gulyayev. It’s unknown whether or not he’ll make the trip to Denver for the Development Camp starting on July 1.

Nonetheless, Funck will look to make things fun and funky on the Avs’ blue line in the future. Welcome to Colorado, Linus Funck!